Those buyers who are interested in smartphones constantly hear such a word as flagship. Recently, it often sounds from TV screens, it is used in reviews mobile phones... Of course, an advanced user immediately understands what is at stake, but an ordinary person does not. Let's see what a flagship smartphone is and how it differs from a regular gadget. The article will also provide a description of several models that occupy leading positions in the 2017 ranking.
The concept of "flagship"
If we consider this word as a term, then it was first used in the navy. The flagship was the name of the main ship from which the command was carried out. Nowadays, this term has become often used for mobile gadgets. Sometimes manufacturers even abuse this word.
If several new models are presented in the assortment range, then the most expensive one with top-end technical equipment will be considered prestigious. Its performance, battery life, screen resolution, cameras and more are evaluated.
So what is a flagship smartphone? First of all, the apparatus must be unique. As a rule, developers use non-standard solutions that bring a kind of "flavor". Before the start of sales, the manufacturer organizes a large-scale advertising campaign, which increases the demand for the gadget. Prime examples are the flagships from Apple or Samsung, which make a splash.
2017 flagship rating
In order not to be unfounded and to show what a flagship smartphone is, it is necessary to consider several models of gadgets. In 2017, well-known world brands are still in the lead. It's Apple, of course. It has never happened before that the "apple" company has weakened its position in the world market. This manufacturer has a worthy competitor. This is a fairly well-known Korean company. Samsung's flagship smartphone models have been at the top of the rankings for several years. Another well-known brand is added to them - LG. Of course, other companies regularly release attractive flagships, but the following smartphones are included in the top 3:
- iPhone 8;
- Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus;
- LG G6.
Let's consider their characteristics in more detail.
iPhone 8
The rating of flagship smartphones will open the next gadget from Apple. The company does not develop devices for the middle and budget classes, so each model can safely bear the title of "flagship". In 2017, according to experts and users, the iPhone 8 became the best. Despite some features, this model still rightfully takes the first place thanks to operating system self-developed iOS, Apple Store and excellent technical specifications. The developers used protection that meets the international IP67 standard. The screen diagonal is small - 4.7ʺ. Type - Retina HD. The resolution is decent - 1334 × 750 px. Density - 326 ppi. This smartphone features True Tone technology, thanks to which the white balance is automatically adjusted depending on the lighting. The "heart" of the gadget is the A11 Bionic processor. It is based on six cores that operate on a 4x2 principle. The former are responsible for efficiency, the remainder for performance. There is only two gigabytes of RAM, but all applications, even the most demanding ones, work fine. The main indicator of the work of any gadget is games. This model when launching World of Tanks Blitz on the most high settings simply "flies".
The cost of the iPhone 8, of course, is also flagship. There are two modifications on the Russian market. They differ in the amount of integrated memory. For the version with 64 GB you will have to pay about 53 thousand rubles, and for the device with 256 GB - more than 65 thousand rubles.
Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus
The flagship smartphone Samsung Galaxy S8 was supposed to restore the company's reputation after the failure of the Note 7. And, it's worth noting, the Korean manufacturer did it. For the flagship, non-standard solutions were used, which attracted the attention of the buyer. This model is presented in two versions. The "younger" one is equipped with a 5.8-inch screen, and for the "older" one with the Plus prefix, the developers chose a 6.2ʺ display. It is this element that has become the "chip" of the smartphone. Both in the first and in the second case, the screen is made using SuperAMOLED technology. The resolution corresponds to the quality of Quad HD +. The performance of the device is provided by top-end content. The super-powerful Exynos 8895 chipset is responsible for the performance. The characteristics are supplemented with 4 gigabytes random access memory... The developers have integrated 64 GB storage, which can be expanded to 256 GB using a flash card. Optics are represented by 12 and 8-megapixel modules with f / 1.7 aperture. A 3000 mAh battery is responsible for autonomy (in the Plus version - 3500 mAh). In the talk mode, the device works on a single charge for 20-24 hours.
The Korean flagship went on sale in the spring of 2017. For the standard version, they ask about 55 thousand rubles, and the S8 Plus will cost about 5 thousand more.
Lg g6
In order to understand what a flagship smartphone is, it is enough to study the characteristics of the G6 from LG. This gadget has some similarities with the Samsung Galaxy S8. The huge 5.7ʺ screen has become the hallmark of the smartphone. It occupies almost the entire front panel. The manufacturer has applied the IP68 protection standard. Under the case is a powerful Snapdragon 821 chipset. RAM - 4 GB, and built-in storage - 64 GB. The device copes with all tasks perfectly. A dual 13 + 13 MP module is used as the main camera. It will be unnecessary to talk about the quality of the photos. Such a flagship in Russia is exhibited in stores with a price tag of 52 thousand rubles.
FLAGMAN, flagship, husband. [Dutch. vlagman] (naval). 1. Squadron chief, squadron commander. The flagship raises its flag on the ship on which it has permanent residence. 2. Seventh (rank 2 flagship) and eighth (rank 1 flagship) ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary
- (Dutch vlagman, from German Flagge flag, and Mann's husband). The chief of a squadron or fleet, raising his flag on the ship where he is. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. FLAGMAN dull. vlagman, from him. ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
- (Admiral) the person of the highest commanding staff, the commander of the formation (brigade, squadron) of warships. The ship on which F. is staying, raises the flag assigned to his rank on the installed mast and is called the flagship ... ...
Flagship - (Omsk, Russia) Hotel category: 3 star hotel Address: Frunze Street 80/18, Omsk, Russia ...
Flagship - (Samara, Russia) Hotel category: 3 star hotel Address: Turgenev Lane 7, Samara, Russia ...
flagship - Commander of a formation of warships (division, squadron). Abbreviated name of the flagship. The military rank of the senior command personnel of the USSR Navy in 1935 - 1940. before the introduction of admiral ranks (flagship of the 1st and 2nd rank fleets, ... ... Marine Biographical Dictionary
- (Dutch vlagman). 1) commander of a fleet or commander of a formation of ships (squadrons, divisions) 2)] Abbreviated name of the flagship 3) Military rank of senior command personnel in the Soviet Navy in 1935 40 (flagship of the 1st and 2nd rank) before… … Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
FLAGMAN, ah, husband. 1. Commander of a large formation of warships, a squadron. 2. A large warship with such a commander on board. 3. The largest or best vessel in the fleet of a given area, special flotilla, of a given type of vessel. F ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary
Right-flank, drummer, leader, Stakhanovite, lighthouse, commander, Dictionary of Russian synonyms. flagship noun, number of synonyms: 10 vodka (162) ... Synonym dictionary
flagship - FLAGMAN, a, M. Iron. What L. the institution in which the person works or studies; often about the university. Do you want to eat? No, I ate in the flagship ... Dictionary of Russian argo
- (flag carrier) An enterprise regarded as a symbol of national security and / or national prestige. Often, national governments are convinced that flagships, such as national airlines, should be supported regardless of ... ... Economic Dictionary
Books
- Flagship in exile, David Weber. Captain Victoria Harrington, deprived of her ship and effectively exiled from Manticore, is forced to engage in politics on the distant planet Grayson. An innate sense of duty makes her ...
- The flagship of the domestic industry, IF Galiguzov, ME Churilin. The Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works is one of the largest enterprises in the Russian industry. The construction of the plant began in January 1929, and already in February 1932 the first went ...
Articles and Life Hacks
Let's ask ourselves what is a flagship phone?
We, ordinary people, a couple of times a year, or even more often, are constantly told that Samsung, HTC, LG and many others will soon release or have already launched the company's new flagship.
But what is a flagship? Let's discuss the term in this article.
basic information
- All phone manufacturers produce devices that differ in technical characteristics, design and cost. Some are cheaper, others are more expensive.
- One has a 5.2-inch display with a pixel density of 440 per inch, while the other has a faded 3-inch TFT-matrix with a resolution of 320x240.
- Flagship is a phone that has the latest cutting edge features.
- Manufacturers are trying to impress us with new built-in functions (remember at least the heart rate sensor in the Samsung Galaxy 5), the number of megapixels of the camera, the size and quality of the screen, and much more. In general, who is good for what.
- This whole race is not only because of the humane desire to make it pleasant for us to use the device, but also because of the money.
- If the flagship device from one company is more famous than from another, the sales of the former will increase, and the latter will incur possible losses.
- The flagship manufacturing company is trying to keep secret information about the external design, the most detailed characteristics of the new product and its features until the very release of the device.
- Because of this, the excitement of users is fueled, the company receives increased attention to itself, and competitors are trying their best to find out news about the flagship approaching release.
What is the popularity of flagships
- Recently, the fashion for increasing the number of pixels and the size of the screen is slowly fading away. The development of innovations, which has not yet been noticed by anyone, as well as quality, is brought to the fore.
- For example, in addition to the heart rate sensor, the SGS 5 has a built-in and usable fingerprint recognition sensor. Prior to that, this feature was only in the iPhone. HTC has redefined camera performance.
- Now the number of megapixels does not exceed ten, but the quality of the pictures, if not improved, then at least remained at the same level. In addition to cameras, NTS is working on sound quality, constantly improving it from both headphones and external speakers.
In the lineup of any manufacturer, a special place belongs to flagships - devices that combine all the best that this or that company can offer. We have compiled for you a selection of the top flagships at the beginning of 2018, which will feature the coolest and most uncompromising smartphones on the market.
New flagships of 2018
Samsung - Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus
Few releases have made as much noise lately as the Galaxy S8 from Samsung's Koreans. Everyone was waiting for this flagship, because the public understood that the company would need to present something non-standard and 100% successful in order to exonerate for the failure with the Note 7. And the expectations were met.
S8 came in two versions - standard and Plus, they differ in screen diagonal: 5.8 and 6.2 inches, respectively, as well as in battery capacity. And the screen is the main trump card of the smartphone, the "infinite" SuperAMOLED display with Quad HD + resolution occupies almost the entire front of the S8, and it looks very cool.
Other characteristics do not fail either: the S8 has a top processor Exynos 8895, 64/4 GB of memory with support for cards up to 256 GB, cameras with 12/8 (f / 1.7) MP and a battery for 3000/3500 mAh (depending on modifications). In terms of the combination of qualities, the S8 surpasses any other flagship on the market - this smartphone is really the best that you can buy right now.
Samsung - Galaxy S8
Lg g6
LG G6 is made in the same concept as S8, externally, these smartphones are even slightly similar. LG's flagship was presented earlier, it was he who became the first device on the market with a display ratio of 18: 9.
Smartphones are divided into a huge number of different categories, each of which takes into account the needs of different users. However, there are two categories that most smartphones include - advanced devices and budget employees. In the not too distant past, premium devices were rare and expensive, with prices approaching $ 1000, and most users favored inexpensive devices around $ 100-200. In recent years, the situation has changed somewhat. With the advancement of technology and the entry of new players into the market, the price of premium devices has dropped, which has led to an increase in their user audience.
And that brings us to the next question: "So why are flagships better than state employees?"... Below, we list a number of obvious differences for you, but first, let's go through for more subjective reasons.
Most of us believe that premium devices are inherently superior to their inexpensive rivals. In general, this is true. However, there are always a couple of exceptions. For example, the main advantage of budget phones is their low price, which its flagship rivals will never keep up with. Yes, over the past few years there has been a dramatic shift in this direction. Manufacturers have started looking at other niches. In addition, do not forget about the Chinese "comrades" who entered the international market with a wide range of inexpensive flagships of very decent quality. Take Xiaomi's flagships, which combine the familiar features of the iPhone, the power of Android, and the gorgeous MIUI user interface.
But it seems we are talking, so let's move on to the main question and list the objective differences between expensive and inexpensive smartphones.
1. Better construction and premium design
As the old saying goes: "They are greeted by their clothes." Appearance, this is the first thing that the future buyer pays attention to even before delving into the jungle technical characteristics... And here, in most cases, flagship devices are beyond competition. And this is not surprising, because they can afford more expensive materials and fancier designs. These smartphones are wrapped in leather cases or shine with metal armor, while their cheaper siblings continue to wear modest plastic cases. However, a number of inexpensive smartphones have already broken this rule by replacing plastic for metal, but so far this is more the exception than the rule.
2. Screens. Bigger and better.
One of the favorite disciplines of a premium competition is screen size and quality. In pursuit of leadership, they are constantly increasing their size and resolution, striving to overtake their rivals in class and leaving budget models behind. HD (720p) resolution has finally been pushed into the budget segment. Quad-HD (2160p) is slowly but surely becoming the standard in Business Class, and a number of flagships are already targeting 4K resolution. Nevertheless, everything is not so simple here either, because devices with Full-HD resolution (1080p) have appeared among the "state employees" too.
3. Unique technologies
But not all devices obey this rule. The functionality of many top budget models has already come close to the class of flagships. However, some flagships can boast of unique features. For example, the Galaxy Note 5 has a very remarkable S Pen stylus. The iPhone 6 / 6S has 3DTouch technology, and the BlackBerry Priv boasts a unique pressure-sensitive keyboard. Of course, this is not beyond the abilities that will be useful to everyone and everyone, but nevertheless, these are unique features that only premium phones have.
4. Latest hardware
When it comes to flagships, everyone expects outstanding performance from them. That is why all top smartphones carry the latest developments in the field of mobile technologies. This is necessary in order to meet the requirements and wishes of potential buyers. Yes, budget devices are quite capable of coping with most similar tasks, but if you try to run several applications at the same time or constantly switch between them, be prepared for delays, errors and other unpleasant things. That is why only a small part of state employees really support multitasking.
5. Outstanding gaming performance
This point follows from the previous one. The superior hardware of the flagship devices makes them an ideal gaming base - they will never have a performance issue. Actually, this is the main reason why we play top-notch shooters on budget smartphones. Agree, few people want to watch 15 frames per second on the screen, which turn any gameplay into a real torture. Most of the state employees are simply not intended for gaming novelties. On the other hand, most flagships quietly shoot over 30 frames per second, providing smooth animation and a lot of fun.
6. Full software support
But this point applies primarily to Android devices. The iOS and Windows platforms are more unified in this regard. Most of their apps will run on lower-end devices as well. But if you look at two Android devices from different price ranges, you will notice that not all applications available for the more expensive version run on the budget. Moreover, this is applicable even for devices from the same manufacturer. And while flagships are becoming real workhorses for the most sophisticated user, budget low-cost smartphones support only a basic set of functionality, while secondary capabilities are sacrificed at an attractive price.
7. Better cameras
This is another important difference between flagships and state employees. Yes, of course, a large number of megapixels in a phone camera does not mean that it is automatically better than its "small" rivals, but flagships can also boast more advanced lenses, sensors and software. Taken together, all this allows you to take the best pictures (especially at night). Flash also plays an important role. If you've noticed, most devices take their best shots on a clear, sunny day. But once you go into a room where there is little light, the quality of the pictures becomes depressing. Most budget models lack good cameras... Therefore, they produce hazy, low quality images. On the other hand, flagship devices with bright flash give clear pictures with lots of detail.
8. Batteries. Bigger, faster and more wirelessly.
Modern smartphones are distinguished not only by large screens, but also by capacious batteries. And if the manufacturer has also optimized work processors and applications, then this combination ensures a long battery life, especially when compared to budget models. This is confirmed by the results of the test, the results of which are shown in the picture above. As you can see, most leaders are hi-end. In addition, most premium smartphones support fast charging technology, and new products on the market may also offer wireless charging.
9. Price
All the previously listed differences lead us to the last, albeit quite expected, difference between flagships and state employees, namely, to the price. Currently, most premium devices cost more than $ 500. On the other hand, the price of state employees usually does not exceed $ 200. However, this is fair enough. You pay big bucks for flagships because they are faster, more beautiful, more functional and have more powerful batteries that also recharge faster.
conclusions
Keep this in mind the next time you go to the store for a new phone and puzzle over which smartphone to buy - a flagship or something cheaper. There are pros and cons for each of the options. However, the main advantage of state employees comes down to saving money. However, if you only use your smartphone for communication and web surfing, then why not.
